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Earth Elemental
|rarity = Rare |casting_cost = |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = +10% To Hit Wall Crusher Poison Immunity Stoning Immunity }} The Earth Elemental is a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. It belongs to the Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. Earth Elementals may only be summoned during battles, and will disappear immediately afterwards. The Earth Elemental is quite strong as a Melee Attacker, though it is very slow-moving compared to other Fantastic Units. It is used for overwhelming enemy units with extra Melee Damage. The Fantastic Unit Physical Description An Earth Elemental is a large bipedal construct made entirely of earth and rock. It is shaped like a large blob with two sturdy legs and a pair of powerful arm-like protrusions, which it uses to strike its enemies. Two glowing red eyes are affixed at the top of its main body. The Earth Elemental is a . Attack Properties The Earth Elemental's Melee Attack is its primary purpose, and it is quite powerful. The attack is rated at , and with the creature's innate bonus will deliver, on average, about points of per swing. This attack has no other special properties, but is easily strong enough to kill several in an enemy Normal Unit, and could seriously injure even other large creatures. Thanks to the Wall Crusher ability, the Earth Elemental can destroy sections of City Walls, either by attacking them directly, or by attacking units hiding behind them. Defensive Properties Despite its earthen construction, the Earth Elemental is not particularly hardy, and is certainly not agile. Therefore, its Defense rating is rather low for its size, at only . It will block, on average, around points of Conventional Damage from enemy attacks. Fortunately though, the Earth Elemental has , so it can take quite a beating before crumbling back into dirt. This allows it to wreak plenty of havoc before it's destroyed. The creature's Resistance is remarkably high for a mindless blob of earth, at . This means it is difficult, though by no means impossible, to affect it with Unit Curses and other combat maledictions. However, it is completely immune to Poison Damage and Stoning Damage, never suffering any harm from either. Other Properties A great disadvantage of the Earth Elemental compared to other units is its low Movement Allowance of only . This means it will take some time for the Earth Elemental to move up to the enemy lines in order to deliver damage. Fortunately, it can take plenty of Ranged Attacks as it closes the distance with the enemy, but it won't be able to keep up with any swift attack maneuvers or chase enemy units around the map. Basic Tactics Earth Elementals are called in to bolster the army's ranks during battle, usually when the enemy has a strong advantage that needs to be countered. If the enemy is advancing, the Earth Elemental will work terrifically well on the front lines, absorbing damage instead of other units, and dealing large amounts of Melee Damage itself. Earth Elementals can also be called in to destroy enemy City Walls during a siege battle. They will need to make their way up to the enemy's Town though, possibly under constant Ranged Attacks. In either case, the Earth Elemental can cause a lot of to enemy Normal Units as well as Fantastic Creatures or even Heroes. It will likely not survive - but then again, as a Combat Summon, it will be destroyed after the battle anyway, so it is better to lose an Earth Elemental than to lose a permanent unit! Enemy Earth Elementals Although Wizards may only use Earth Elementals during combat, these Fantastic Creatures will often be encountered as permanent guardians of mid-level and other Encounter Zones. Furthermore, they may lead Rampaging Monster groups to attack the player's Towns! If not on their own, they will frequently be accompanied by smaller creatures, especially War Bears or Sprites. The easiest way to bring down an Earth Elemental is with Ranged Attacks, as the creature is slow-moving and may be pelted several times before it reaches across the battlefield. Its rating is rather low, so most attacks will at least injure it. Its needs to be worn through though, so it may still be necessary to put some distance between the ranged troops and the Elemental first, if possible. If push comes to shove, any large number of units can eventually take down an Earth Elemental - assuming they don't get destroyed first. Units with high ratings, especially Heroes, may fare better against it. Ability Overview +10% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Wall Crusher * This unit can make Melee Attacks against City Walls. Each attack has a 50% chance to destroy the targeted wall section for the remainder of the battle. * If an enemy unit is standing behind the wall when it is attacked, the Wall Crusher unit attacks that unit as well. Defense bonuses to the target unit depend on whether or not the wall is destroyed during this attack. * This ability can only destroy City Walls. Other, magical wall types are not affected. Poison Immunity * This unit cannot be hurt by Poison Damage. It will automatically pass any roll to avert such damage. Stoning Immunity * This unit cannot be petrified by Stoning Damage. It will automatically pass any roll to avert such damage. The Summoning Spell Usage Earth Elemental may only be cast in combat, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon successfully casting the spell, the game will prompt for an unoccupied tile to be selected on the combat map, where the Earth Elemental unit will then appear, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. Since it does not carry over to the overland map, there is no Upkeep Cost associated with either the spell or the unit itself, which will automatically disappear at the end of the battle - along with any Unit Enchantments that may have been cast on it. It is not possible to manually dismiss the Earth Elemental unit during combat, nor is it possible to use dispel type spells to remove it from play - the Summoning Spell itself dissipates immediately after casting. Acquisition As a Rare Spell of the Realm, Earth Elemental may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbooks. With any less, the spell can not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Earth Elemental to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with books), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, Conjurer, and/or Nature Mastery Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Earth Elemental may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins. Permanent Summoning Trick Disclaimer: This trick appears to violate the game designers' intent, and it cannot be guaranteed that its use won't destabilize the game. summoned to the Summoning Circle using the spell.]] If you MUST have an Earth Elemental for your army garrisoned in one of your Towns, you can enter a battle with the intention of losing (not winning). You will need to know the and the Earth Elemental spells. Enter a battle and summon the Earth Elemental(s) that you want for your army. Use on the Elementals. You can continue the battle to the maximum number of turns, flee the battle (with the risk of losing any units that you have in the battle), or recall any remaining units as well. This brings your units back to the Summoning Circle and you now have one or more Earth Elementals that require a per turn Upkeep Cost. This does not work if you win the battle. Category:Units Category:Fantastic Creatures Category:Nature